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The Battle Isn’t Binary: Pairing Low Cost Munitions with High End Punch

By Scott Alexander
President, Propulsion Systems, Missile Solutions

A warfighter is staring down two very different threats. First, a swarm of cheap, makeshift drones buzzing toward a unit’s forward position. Seconds later, a high‑end, long‑range, precision‑guided system streaks across the horizon, heading toward a heavily populated military base.

One threat, designed to overwhelm by sheer quantity, costs our adversaries only a few thousand dollars to make. The other costs millions, intended to outmatch by complexity and sophistication. Both can show up in the same fight, aimed at the same target, resulting in unacceptable risk to human lives and critical infrastructure.

This is where an “either/or” conversation based on cost alone doesn’t adequately capture what’s at stake. The reality of conflict isn’t binary and requires the availability of a full spectrum of capability. The warfighter needs the right tool for the right target and often needs multiple options at a moment’s notice.

Backed by nearly a century of experience delivering propulsion systems at scale, L3Harris provides this mission‑ready capability today with the flexibility to support any need, no matter the threat sophistication, at the speed of modern warfare.

“
The debate over low cost versus exquisite tends to treat the two as opposing philosophies: quantity versus quality, simple versus sophisticated. But the smart approach – and the one the warfighter increasingly depends on – is layered defense.
”
- Scott Alexander, President, Propulsion Systems, Missile Solutions

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